


If You're Out, I'm Out

by pineapple_boop



Series: We Belong Together series [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Coming Out, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Ohana, mainly fluff tho, mcdanno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24493567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineapple_boop/pseuds/pineapple_boop
Summary: Steve knows that he loves Danny very much, which makes it harder for him to understand why he's so terrified of telling other people. When things get heated, Steve decides that he can't let his fear lead him anymore.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: We Belong Together series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769491
Comments: 29
Kudos: 153





	If You're Out, I'm Out

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here! This part of the series has been in the works for over a year! I'm so happy to be finally posting it and I hope all of you enjoy it. I'll talk more about this series and my plans for it at the end of this!
> 
> I'm having a very hard time determining a timeline for this series (and I'll probably be ignoring parts of canon anyway), but lets say this is set around the very beginning of season 7. Don't hold me to that tho.
> 
> QUICK IMPORTANT NOTE: I use the term "queer" to describe a character in this part of the series and I will probably do so in other works too. It's very important to me to make clear that this is in no way used as a slur, but as a way for a character to describe themselves. But if you are uncomfortable with seeing the term, please feel free to skip this one. I will always put a little cw at the beginning notes if I do use this term again.
> 
> Now, enjoy reading!

He slams the door closed a little too hard behind them, but he honestly can’t care less. Danny’s wearing one of his button ups and something about how he rolled up his sleeves drove him absolutely crazy all morning.

“God, you’re a fucking animal, you know that right?” Danny says, his voice low and a little breathless when Steve pushes him against the wall of the small room he’s dragged him in.

Steve kisses Danny’s neck before answering, “You love me for it.”

Danny hums softly and rests his head against the wall behind him, giving Steve easier access.

“No, I don’t, actually,” Danny says, voice trailing off at the end of his sentence as Steve lightly tugs at his skin with his teeth.

“I have evidence that suggests otherwise,” Steve says, a big grin on his face. He looks up and meets Danny’s eyes, who looks at him like he both wants to slap him and kiss him.

Danny rolls his eyes at him, “Oh, just shut up.”

Steve grins at Danny’s fake annoyance and at how he’ll never stop complaining about everything. He secretly loves that about him, though.

“You started it,” Steve teases, softly squeezing Danny’s hips.

Danny holds onto the back of Steve’s neck with both hands and gives a little tug back.

“Just kiss me, you animal,” Danny says, making a shiver run down Steve’s spine at the demanding tone.

Steve grins and kisses him passionately, reaching up with one hand to cup Danny’s face. Danny softly tugs the hair at the nape of Steve’s neck and he moans into the kiss in response.

Danny smiles against his lips and gives another tug, a little harder this time. Steve pulls his head back with a low groan, lowering his head to Danny’s neck again.

It surprised him how quickly they’ve learned each other’s shortcuts; how little time it took for them to figure out what the other likes in what should’ve been unknown territory.

They’ve only been together for two months, but Steve feels like he’s learned two years’ worth of information about his partner in that time. Which he’s certainly not complaining about, because the sounds Danny makes when he kisses his neck are amazing.

After a few seconds of Steve trying to reach Danny’s neck, he feels his back protest against the weird angle.

“You’re such an inconvenient height,” Steve complains softly, muttering against Danny’s neck.

Danny lets out an offended noise that turns into a soft yelp as Steve pushes him further up against the wall, keeping him steady by pressing his hips against Danny’s and putting a hand under his ass. Danny wraps his legs around Steve’s waist to support himself.

A satisfied smile spreads across Steve’s face as he looks at Danny’s surprised expression, a sight he doesn’t see very often.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Danny says, “you’re lucky you got away this time.”

Steve grins and silences him with another short kiss on his lips.

“I don’t understand how you’re this strong,” Danny continues the moment Steve pulls away.

Steve grins again; Danny always talks. It’s his way of dealing with situations, both good and bad. Another thing Steve loves about him.

“I think you’re the only one I know that, ah-” Danny cuts himself off with a soft gasp when Steve gives him a hickey on his collarbone, pushing his shirt away a little so it’s not visible.

Danny clears his throat and continues talking as Steve leaves a trail of wet kisses across his collarbone, “You’re the only one who seems to be getting stronger as they get older.”

Steve opens a few of Danny’s buttons with one hand, the other still holding Danny up. “It’s really, hm-”, Danny hums at the contact of Steve’s lips on his chest, “really unfair.”

Steve pulls his head away from Danny’s chest and slips a hand under the fabric of his shirt just above his hip, the touch gaining another soft gasp. Steve loves how vocal Danny is and the fact that he’s the cause of the sounds he makes.

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it, Danno,” Steve says, his voice low and deep.

“I didn’t say-” Danny squeezes his eyes shut and grabs Steve’s shoulders firmly as Steve grinds against him a little, burying his face in Danny’s neck again.

“I didn’t say I don’t like it,” Danny repeats, a low whine at the end of his sentence.

While still kissing Danny’s neck softly, Steve notices approaching footsteps from outside the door. He freezes and listens closely, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Danny opens his mouth to say something, probably to protest at Steve pulling away from him, but Steve puts his fingers to his lips. Danny frowns but stays quiet, watching him intently.

Steve almost jumps at the sound of somebody calling out his name and he quickly lowers Danny to the ground.

They both take a second to pull their shirts straight and look at each other with wide eyes. Danny buttons his shirt back up in record speed and immediately moves his hands to his hair in a desperate attempt to fix it.

“I’ll go outside, you stay here,” Steve whispers, giving his wrinkled shirt one last tug.

Danny nods and Steve takes a deep breath, needing a moment to switch gears. He pushes the door open and steps outside, looking up and down the hallway for the person calling out to him.

“Steve! There you are,” he hears Chin say behind him.

Steve turns around to face Chin who’s just turning the corner, and quickly closes the door behind him. Chin looks at him expectantly, but Steve just clears his throat and nods.

Chin’s eyes dart between Steve’s face and the door next to them, his smile not wavering, but confusion appearing in his eyes.

“What were you doing in there?” he asks, sounding curious, but not judgemental.

“I was looking for cleaning kits,” Steve answers quickly, surprised at how fast the lie came out of his mouth.

Chin raises an eyebrow at him, “Cleaning kits?”

“Yeah, for the guns,” Steve says, starting to walk away from the door, hoping Chin won’t demand to help him look. “Danny’s been bugging me about the safety hazard of uncleaned guns for about a week.”

Chin chuckles, “That sounds about right.”

Steve breathes a sigh in relief, his shoulders relaxing a little. “Speaking of Danny,” Chin continues, “I really thought I heard him in there, though.”

Steve forces his expression to stay neutral, desperately looking for a way to talk himself out of this one. The worst thing being that he knows Danny would probably know exactly what to say, where he in his place.

“Is he helping you search?” Chin presses with an expression Steve can’t quite read on his face.

“Nope,” Steve says, popping the ‘p’, “just me.”

“Oh, okay,” Chin says nonchalantly, “must’ve misheard then.”

“Yeah,” Steve confirms, feeling the horrible awkwardness of the moment pressing down on him.

“Anyway,” Chin continues with a soft sigh and a swing of his arms, “I was looking for you because you need to sign some paperwork.”

Steve nods in response, forcing a smile. “Thanks for letting me know, I’ll be there in a second,” he answers, sounding a little strained.

He desperately hopes Chin will go away without asking more questions, because he has no idea what to say next. Chin’s grin is still wide on his face and he chuckles softly.

“Sure, boss,” he says, giving him a soft pat on the back before disappearing through the office doors.

Steve lets out huge breath, extremely relieved at the conversation finally being over. He quickly hurries back to the room Danny’s in, softly knocking before opening the door and poking his head through the doorway.

“Coast is clear,” Steve says, a small smile playing around his lips.

With an annoyed expression on his face, Danny steps out of the room and follows Steve back to their office.

“Well, that was close,” Danny notes dryly, his posture a little stiff.

Steve chuckles, “You’re too loud, Chin heard you.”

Danny frowns at him and stops walking, “Excuse me?”

“You talk too much,” Steve says, turning around to face Danny with a grin on his face, amused by how easy it is to set him off.

Danny rolls his eyes and puts his hands on his hips. “It’s called communication, Steve, you should try it.”

Steve takes a step closer to Danny and lowers his voice. “Well you make other sounds too you know,” he says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Danny blinks at him a few times, mouth squeezed shut and eyebrows pulled upwards. Steve feels his chest expand a little with pride, it doesn’t happen often that Danny’s at a loss for words. And he’s managed it twice in one morning.

“Have I just silenced Danny Williams?” Steve teases, a big grin on his face. “Again?”

Danny walks past him, scoffing softly. “Don’t get used to it,” he calls out.

“I didn’t say I don’t like it when you make those sounds,” Steve says, jogging a few strides to catch up with him.

Danny rolls his eyes, a small grin pulling on the corners of his mouth, and pushes Steve’s arm softly, “You’re such a disgusting animal.”

Steve smiles, "You still love me though."

"Unfortunately," Danny answers, the grin fully spreading across his face.

Steve follows up on his promise to Chin and signs some paperwork while in his office. Chin gives him a few questioning looks, but doesn’t ask any more questions, so Steve ignores them.

He leaves Chin’s office with clammy hands and an uneasy feeling in his chest. Knowing he has a whole bunch of paperwork left too, he walks into his own office and sinks into his chair with a sigh.

Usually he hates doing paperwork, but this time he doesn’t mind. The mundane work is a nice distraction from his churning brain.

He used to work on his paperwork at the end of every day, when the fieldwork was done and the office was empty. But since he and Danny are officially together, everything’s been different.

They already spent a lot of time together before they finally figured it out, but now they barely spend any time apart.

They see each other pretty much all day at work, hang out at Steve’s place afterwards and usually spend the weekends together too.

A content smile appears on Steve’s face when he thinks about all of the slow mornings together, sipping coffee in their pyjamas and not even talking, just being together.

Or the Saturdays they spend with Charlie and Grace, who’s getting way too old and smart and must’ve already put two and two together. Steve’s pretty sure even Charlie has it figured out already.

For some reason, the idea of having to have that talk with the kids soon, makes his stomach do flips, so he pulls his attention back to the paperwork in front of him.

After about 10 minutes of being focused, his pen hovers over the paper again, distracted by Chin walking by his office. On his way back, Chin shoots him a quick smile and Steve quickly looks down again.

Something in Chin’s smile, which was probably just meant as a greeting, sends him back down an exhausting thought spiral.

Thinking about his relationship with Danny and how nobody knows about its existence yet, makes him realize how he’s never properly come out to anybody. Which makes him feel weird, because the people he works with are like family to him.

But the people around him have always either known about his attraction to men, like his direct family. Or it just never came up, because he was either single or dated women around them.

He’s never thought about that this’ll change when they tell people about him and Danny. The idea makes him anxious, though he can’t quite place why.

He’s not been embarrassed about his queerness for quite some time, especially in his adult life. He knows how lucky he is to feel this way, having seen much worse experiences in person.

Knowing this, that he’s lucky to feel comfortable in his own skin and with a supportive system of wonderful people around him, not telling people only makes him feel more guilty. But for some reason he just can’t wrap his head around it, how drastically his world would change because all of this.

With a frustrated sigh a pushes his chair away from his desk and gets up, unable to sit in his thoughts and complicated emotions any longer. He strides over to Danny’s office, one of his hands in his pocket.

He knocks on the glass door to Danny’s office, a smile spreading across his face when he sees Danny’s little focused frown between his eyebrows.

Danny looks up from his desk, his face softening when he sees him. “Want to get some lunch?” Steve asks, poking his head through the doorway.

“Only if we’re getting taco’s,” Danny answers quasi-seriously, already cleaning up his things and grabbing his wallet.

“Whatever you want, babe,” Steve answers with a chuckle.

They slowly walk out of the office in a comfortable silence, both leaving the stress of work in the office as they step into the bright Hawaiian sun.

They decide to leave the Camaro in the parking lot and walk to their favorite taco place down the street.

Steve stays outside, taking in the sun and the comfortable breeze, as Danny orders them some tacos-to-go. After a little while, Steve feels Danny’s elbow poke him in the ribs and he turns around.

“Here you go,” Danny says while handing him a taco and a napkin.

Steve grins widely and immediately starts attacking his food, only now realizing he hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

“Sometimes I think a ‘thank you’ would actually physically hurt you,” Danny notes cynically as they start walking towards the office again.

“Thank you for the food, Danno,” Steve answers, smiling through a mouthful of taco.

Danny rolls his eyes at him, “I almost regret it, because I have to watch you eat now.”

Steve’s still grinning, but doesn’t say anything. They let the comfortable silence take over again, taking the long way back to the office, enjoying the weather.

Steve finishes his food first and wipes his hands on his pants. He watches Danny from the corner of his eye and smiles, secretly appreciating the way his hips sway when he walks. Danny notices him staring and Steve quickly looks away.

“Why are you staring at me?” Danny asks, a smile audible in his voice.

Steve hums and smiles back at him, “Nothing.”

Danny grins too and throws the napkins he wiped his hands with in a trashcan on the side of the street. He reaches for Steve’s wrist and slides his hand down to interlace their fingers.

Danny softly squeezes Steve’s hand and Steve squeezes back, his heart speeding up a little at the touch. They rarely do this, holding hands in public.

They touch each other plenty, but always small and discreet things. A guiding hand on the other’s back, a pat on the shoulder that lingers, the brush of arms while standing, a sneaking hand on a thigh under the table, things like that.

So, holding hands in public suddenly feels like something bigger than it really is to him. Annoyed at how nervous all of this is making him, Steve decides to keep holding Danny’s hand anyway, despite the anxiety it causes.

When they round a corner near the palace, Steve notices somebody in a navy uniform. In a panic, he quickly pulls his hand away from an unsuspecting Danny, who stumbles a little at the sudden movement.

“Wha-,” Danny starts, a confused look on his face.

Steve ignores him and quickens his stride, keeping his head down and hoping whoever’s walking towards them doesn’t notice him.

When they, a woman, Steve notices in passing, walk past them, Steve sees he doesn’t recognize her and he releases his breath.

Danny catches up with him after quite some time and they walk up to the palace in silence, a much less comfortable one this time. Steve’s stride is fast and anxious, Danny’s quick and angry.

When they get into the palace’s lobby, Danny doesn’t even look at him, he storms ahead and is back in his office before Steve has the chance to say anything.

An uneasy feeling settles in Steve’s stomach and he knows something’s wrong, that he should probably say something. But watching Danny’s face through the glass walls of his office, he decides he should probably give him some space.

He tells himself he doesn’t have time to deal with a full-blown argument right now anyway, because he still has a pile of paperwork waiting for him in his office. He decides he’ll just finish that first, then apologize to Danny about freaking out.

It takes him the entire afternoon to finish his paperwork. He isn’t sure if that’s because there’s so much or because he’s postponing the inevitable argument with Danny after he’s done.

He puts it off until the rest of the team has left to office, telling himself that he doesn’t want everybody else being able to listen in on a personal conversation, knowing it won’t be hard to make out if Danny does get angry.

With a heavy feeling in his chest he finally walks over to Danny’s office, taking a few deep breaths before getting inside.

“Took you long enough,” Danny immediately says, still typing away on his laptop.

Steve coughs and crosses his arms in front of his chest, “Yeah, sorry.”

“For what, exactly, Steve?” Danny answers sharply, looking at him angrily.

Steve avoids his piercing gaze and shifts his weight from one leg to the other uncomfortably, “You know, for what happened earlier.”

Danny pushes his chair back abruptly and gets up with a jolt. Even though Danny’s much smaller than him, he looks threatening.

“You’re a fucking idiot sometimes, you know that, right?” he says, his voice low and deep.

“You won’t let me forget it,” Steve jokes, trying really hard to keep looking at Danny’s angry face.

Danny raises his hands in protest, “No! You’re not joking yourself out of this!” he says, raising his voice, index finger pointing at him accusingly.

Steve shifts uncomfortably, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Danny walks around his desk and steps up to Steve, finger still pointing at his face. Steve feels anger bubble up in his chest, hating it when Danny gets in his face.

“I’m serious, Steve!” Danny yells, clearly very angry now.

Steve takes a deep breath and looks down at Danny’s reddening face, veins popping up slightly in his neck.

Danny opens his mouth to continue, but Steve cuts him off. He’s being unreasonable and Steve’s angry too now, his anxiety from before washed away.

“What are you so worked up about? You haven’t looked at me for the entire afternoon,” Steve says, his voice coming out louder than he intended.

Danny throws his hands up in the air and steps away from him, letting out a small puff of air. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because my boyfriend doesn’t want to hold my hand in public?” he says, still yelling.

Steve frowns and opens and closes his mouth a few times, not sure what to say.

“Well? What the hell is your problem?” Danny asks, waving his arms around with that dumb questioning look on his face, his head crooked to the side.

Steve pretends to be surprised, pointing at himself. “Oh, what’s _my_ problem?” he starts, leaning forwards to tower over Danny a little. “Last time I checked I wasn’t the one giving their boyfriend the silent treatment without a reason!”

Danny scoffs and lowers his hands in what appears to be surrender, but Steve’s knows better. He’s just getting started.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot my place,” Danny says, something cold and raw in his voice.

“Apparently I’m just here for your pleasure, I don’t have a say in any of this,” Danny gestures between them, meeting Steve’s eyes with a piercing look.

All of the anger in Steve’s chest flows out of him and into the floor. He sees the pain in Danny’s eyes and feels a pang of guilt in his chest, he never meant for Danny to feel this way.

“Danno,” Steve starts softly, “you don’t understand.”

Danny crosses his arms in front of his chest and nods, “Exactly, so make me.”

His voice still sounds hard, but Steve knows he’s just using that to protect himself. If there’s anything he’s learned about Danny after all these years, it’s that he’s always hurting a lot more than he’s showing.

“I thought I saw somebody I recognized,” Steve explains, hoping Danny understands everything else that’s beneath the explanation. Everything Steve feels but can’t say out loud.

Apparently, he doesn’t, because Danny looks even more hurt after that.

“And why does that mean I can’t hold my boyfriend’s hand?” he asks, his voice still angry but less convincing this time.

Steve sighs and takes a few steps back, putting some space between him and Danny. He has no idea how to deal with what Danny’s asking of him, but he knows he can’t ignore this forever either.

“Well no, I mean, I don’t know,” Steve stammers, annoyed at how stupid he sounds.

“What? So we just make out in closets and at your place, but I don’t get to hold your hand in public?” Danny asks, hands flailing and voice loud again, walls back up. “Is that all I am to you? Just some, booty call, for whenever you feel like getting some?”

Danny’s words feel like punches to his gut and Steve takes a deep breath. He never meant for it to get out of hand like this.

“No, of course not Danny,” Steve says softly, trying to sound calmer than he is.

Danny’s not backing down and keeps yelling at him, “Are you not serious about this, then?”

His question is sharp and Steve sees some of that hurt in Danny’s eyes again, sensitive and vulnerable. Panic claws at his chest now and Steve racks his brain for words but can’t find any.

“Of course I am!” Steve starts, putting his hands up in the air, looking around the office frantically, unable to look at Danny’s hurt expression.

“Of course I’m serious, Danny,” Steve sighs as he forces himself to calm down, “I’ve never felt more serious about anybody.”

His words seem to calm Danny down a little and his posture relaxes. “Then what’s wrong, Steve?” he asks, some of the anger still in his voice. “Why don’t you want to hold my hand?”

“Listen,” Steve starts, “I know about your issues with intimacy and I just-”

“Excuse me?” Danny snaps, getting up again. The sharpness in his voice immediately letting Steve know how much of an idiot he was for saying that.

“I’m, uh, what?” Steve responds, frantically trying to look for a way out of this conversation.

“I can’t-” Danny starts, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a second. “Are you serious right now, Steve?”

“I mean, I just wanted to-” Steve responds, knowing that nothing he will say will make Danny believe him.

“No, don’t you dare pretend this is about protecting me, Steve!” Danny shouts, cutting him off. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not fucking stupid!”

“Danny, please just-” Steve pleads, anxiety making his chest feel like it’s about to explode.

“No! Let me finish, you schmuck!” Danny yells, his face getting a little red as he gestures widely at him. “This is not going to work if you keep doing this!”

“Doing what?” Steve asks, genuinely confused about what Danny is implying.

“Pushing your fear of abandonment on me,” Danny answers resolutely.

“What?” Steve responds, his voice sounding a lot smaller than what he expected.

“You know exactly what I mean Steve, and I can tell you right now, that I’m not going to take it,” Danny says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Anxiety rises in his chest at Danny’s words and Steve finally understands what he’s been so terrified of for the past few months.

The last time he was as sure about somebody as he is about Danny, he wanted to marry her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Catherine, but she ran away. Choosing to be where he wasn’t, leaving him broken and alone.

People always seem to leave him, no matter what he does. And everything Danny’s saying makes him feel like the same will happen again. Something he can’t stand the thought of.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Steve says.

“I don’t want you to say anything, Steve, I just want you to show me that you actually want to be with me!” Danny answers, his voice still raised.

“Of course I want to be with you!” Steve yells back, all of the fear he’s kept inside showing itself as anger.

“Why haven’t we told anybody yet then? Hm?” Danny snaps back, raising his eyebrows as if expecting an answer. He continues before Steve can even open his mouth.

“I have two children, Steve! I can’t just have a fling, especially not with you. I know what I was risking when I started this with you, we both did!” he ends, stepping close to him again.

Steve stays quiet, feeling like his brain is short-circuiting. He can’t believe Danny would ever think he doesn’t want to be with him, or that he’d just want a ‘fling’ with him.

“Well?” Danny presses.

“I-, I really don’t know what to say,” Steve says, his voice wavering. “I’m sorry, I’ll just-” he makes his way for the door, feeling like he needs to be away for a moment, or he’ll start crying.

“No, Steve,” Danny says, stepping in front of him, blocking his path. “You can’t walk away from this, that’s now how you solve things in a relationship.”

“Well, what the hell do you want from me then?” Steve snaps back, his voice sounding panicky. “Just tell me what you need!”

“Steve, calm down,” Danny says, putting up his hands between them, like he’s scared Steve will run off anyway.

“I am calm!” Steve says, his voice coming out a little too loud.

“Steve,” Danny says softly, his face relaxing and moving over to hold Steve’s arms gently.

“Yes?” Steve answers, his voice tight, afraid of what’s coming next.

“What are you so afraid of?” he asks softly, looking at Steve like he’s staring into his soul.

Steve takes a deep breath, “I-, I don’t know, Danny.”

Danny shakes his head, “Yes you do. And so do I. But I refuse to constantly have to read your mind. If we want this to work, we’re going to have to communicate.”

“Okay,” Steve answers with a sigh, knowing he’s right.

“So?” Danny says expectantly.

“I just-,” Steve starts hesitantly, “I can’t risk losing you, Danny.”

“What makes you think that telling people about us will make you lose me?” Danny asks, looking and sounding genuinely confused.

“Because-,” Steve starts, looking around the room frantically, “I don’t know, okay? I have no idea why people always leave! I don’t know!”

They’re both silent for a second as Steve catches his breath, forcing himself to calm down a little. “You just-,” Steve swallows the lump in his throat down, “you’ve always been there and I don’t want things to change.”

“Nothing’s going to change, Steve,” Danny says softly, a small smile appearing on his face.

“Yes, it is, don’t lie to me,” Steve answers, aware of how stubborn he sounds.

“Okay, you’re right,” Danny admits, “but nothing bad is going got happen.”

“How do you know that, hm?” Steve asks.

Danny rolls his eyes at him, like he’s tired of waiting for Steve to get the hint. “Because I love you, you idiot,” he says, “and you love me.”

“But what if that’s not enough?” Steve responds, his voice a whisper.

“We both know it is,” Danny answers resolutely.

“I’m-,” Steve closes his eyes, “I’m just scared.”

“I know,” Danny answers, pulling him into a hug that Steve gladly accepts. “So am I. But we’re in this together, remember? If you’re out, I’m out.”

Steve lets out a loud laugh despite himself, “That’s such a horrible pun.”

“You liked it, though,” Danny answers, a grin audible in his voice.

“Maybe,” Steve answers, grinning too.

Danny pulls back a little and cups Steve’s face in his hands. “You’re such an oblivious idiot,” he says softly, before kissing Steve gently.

As Steve sinks into the kiss and pulls Danny closer, some of the raging anxiety finally leaving his chest. He knows Danny’s right. He also knows his fears are absolutely ridiculous.

He knows he can’t let the fear of change dictate his life like this. He realizes how lucky he is to have Danny at his side, reminding him of that.

When Danny pulls back, he looks at him questioningly and Steve nods. He’s still scared, but he knows that he can handle this, that some of the change that’ll happen after this will probably make his life better in ways he can’t understand yet.

Danny’s eyes light up and he interlaces his fingers with Steve’s, “Gracie is going to lose her shit.”

Steve chuckles, “Bold of you to assume she doesn’t already know.”

The anxiety is back in full force when Steve’s sitting on Danny’s couch that afternoon, waiting for Danny to come back from picking up Grace from cheering practice. But he knows there’s no turning back now, and he doesn’t want to either.

In the meantime, he watches some random kids’ show with Charlie, who keeps giggling and loudly answering the characters’ questions. He smiles down at the oblivious blonde kid, who’s nestled himself against Steve’s chest.

They both look up from the TV screen when they hear somebody opening the front door. “Danno!” Charlie yells, putting his hands up in the air when he sees Danny enter.

“Hey, big guy!” Danny answers, walking over to pick him up with a grunt. Charlie lets out a happy squeal and wraps has arms around Danny’s neck.

“We watched a lot of TV!” Charlie yells happily, bringing his face very close to Danny’s, his arms still around his neck.

“Did you now?” Danny answers, looking at Steve with a smile.

“Yeah, we were having relaxation evening,” Charlie answers gravely.

“That’s right, Charlie,” Steve answers with a big grin, his chest warm at the look of seriousness on Charlie’s face.

“How about you go pick out which pyjamas you want to sleep in,” Danny tells Charlie, “so me and Uncle Steve can talk to Gracie for a bit, okay?”

Charlie nods and Danny puts him down. “Will you come tell me a bedtime story, Uncle Steve?” Charlie asks, already getting ready to sprint out of the room.

“Of course, buddy,” Steve answers, trying not to let the anxiety about the conversation that’s about to happen show.

“Okay!” Charlie yells, running towards his room.

“Hey Uncle Steve,” Grace says with a grin, plopping down on the comfortable chair in front of him.

“Hey, Grace,” Steve answers, “how was practice?”

“Pretty good,” Grace answers, “I think we’ll do alright this weekend.”

Steve nods, looking up at Danny who’s come back from pulling off his shoes. He goes to sit down next to him and Steve automatically leans towards him a little.

“So,” Grace starts, leaning back in her chair with a small smile, “what did you guys want to talk about?”

Danny checks in with Steve before answers, raising his eyebrows in question. Steve gives him a weak smile and nods.

Danny smiles too and turns his attention to Grace. “We wanted to talk to you about something that we decided we’re ready to tell you.”

“Okay,” Grace answers, nodding dramatically, a sparkle apparent in her eyes as she obviously tries to conceal her grin.

Danny takes a deep breath and Steve notices that he’s probably really nervous too, his fingers drumming softly on the couch between them. Steve reaches over and gently takes his hand in his.

Danny gives his hand a little squeeze and Steve squeezes back, happiness about that they’re doing this mixed in with the familiar anxiety for the first time.

“We want to tell you that Steve and I have been in a relationship for the past two months,” Danny says, his voice sounding strong and sure.

Grace’s entire face lights up and she opens her mouth to say something, but Danny interrupts her by putting his hand in the air. “Wait until I’m finished please,” he says sternly.

Grace settles back down in her chair and shoots a quick glance at Steve, which he answers with a small smile.

“We want to make it very clear that we realize that this might feel a little weird at first, so if anything makes you uncomfortable, we want you to tell us right away, okay?” Danny says, a serious tone in his voice.

Grace nods, which Danny takes as a sign to continue. “We also want you to know that this doesn’t mean that things will change, Steve won’t be any more or less involved than he has been before. Unless you want that of course.”

Grace nods again, her smile unwavering. “And we would like it if you kept this private for a little while, we want a chance to tell other people first.”

“Am I the first you guys told?” Grace asks, sounding the happiest Steve’s ever heard her.

“Yeah,” Danny answers with a smile, “we wanted to tell you and Charlie first.”

A huge grin spreads across her face, “Kono is going to freak out, I can’t wait until you tell her.”

They all laugh at this and Steve feels like a huge weight is lifted off his shoulders. Danny squeezes is hand softly again and turns to look at him.

“Do you want to say anything?” he asks softly.

Steve looks at Grace, who’s nearly bouncing off her seat with excitement, and smiles. “I just want you to know that I love you very much, Grace,” he says. “And I love your dad too.”

“I know,” Grace answers, “can I give you guys a hug now?”

“Of course you can, monkey,” Danny says, getting up with a grin.

Grace pulls both of them into a firm hug. “Thank you for telling me,” she says, her voice sounding a little muffled, “I love you guys.”

Danny looks up at Steve with a huge grin and tears in his eyes. “We love you too,” he answers, hugging her a little tighter.

Steve gives Grace a quick kiss on her forehead when she pulls back, that huge grin still on her face.

“When are you telling everybody?” she asks.

“We’ll probably tell the team tomorrow,” Danny answers, looking at Steve for confirmation. He nods in response, which earns a little squeak from Grace.

“I’m planning lunch with Kono, right now,” she says, pulling out her phone. “Good luck with Charlie,” she adds softly, looking up at both of them.

“Thanks, monkey,” Danny answers, grabbing Steve’s hand and pulling him into the hallway. “Are you okay?” he asks as soon as they’re out of Grace’s earshot.

Steve nods, “Yes. I can’t believe we haven’t done this earlier.”

Danny grins, “I know.”

“Can I tell Charlie?” Steve asks, trying to make it apparent that he’s okay with Danny doing it too.

“Sure, babe,” Danny answers with a soft smile. Steve nods and walks into Charlie’s room, Danny following close by.

“Hey buddy, which pyjamas did you choose?” he asks happily, spotting Charlie already lying in his bed.

“One with sharks!” Charlie answers happily, pulling his covers down to show him, beaming with pride.

“That’s by far the coolest pyjamas I’ve ever seen, good choice,” Steve says with a serious frown as he kneels down besides Charlie’s bed, Danny doing the same.

“I thought you were going to tell me a bedtime story?” Charlie asks, looking at Danny with a frown.

“Actually,” Steve answers, looking at Danny who puts a supportive hand on his lower back, “your dad and I both want to talk to you about something, okay?”

“Okay!” Charlie says, the frown wiped from his face as he looks at them expectantly.

“Okay,” Steve answers, taking a deep breath. “You know that I think your dad is an amazing man, right?”

Charlie nods happily, settling down into his covers a little more.

“Well, I really love him too,” Steve explains. “And your dad and I decided that we wanted to tell you about how we feel about each other.”

“Okay,” Charlie answers, not a trail of confusion in his voice.

“Your dad and I found out that we both really like each other and that we really want to be together,” Steve continues, hoping he’s explaining clearly enough, surprised at how calm he is.

“Like best friends?” Charlie asks, a happy smile on his face.

“No, a little more than best friends,” Steve answers, feelings steadied by Danny’s hand softly rubbing his back.

“So like Mommy and Stan?” Charlie asks again, sounding very sure of himself.

“Yes, just like Mommy and Stan,” Steve confirms, a smile spreading across his face.

“Are you married?” Charlie asks happily, looking at Danny.

They both chuckle and Danny shakes his head. “No Charlie, we’re not married,” he answers. “But we do love each other in the same way.”

Steve’s heart fills with warmth at Danny’s words, looking at him with a huge smile. “Are you okay with that?” Steve asks, turning his attention back to Charlie.

“Yeah!” Charlie answers happily, “Will that mean that you can tell me a lot more bedtime stories?”

Steve grins, “If that’s what you want, I can.”

Charlie’s eyes light up and he reaches up to give Steve a hug, “I really want that!”

“Okay buddy, then that’s a deal,” Steve answers, his eyes filling with tears for the second time that evening as he ruffles Charlie’s hair.

“What, no hug for me?” Danny asks, a big smile on his face too.

Charlie hugs and pulls Danny into a hug too. “Did you brush your teeth yet?” Danny asks him as Charlie plops back down onto his bed.

“No!” Charlie says, quickly jumping out of bed and running towards the bathroom, leaving them on the ground at his bed.

They both sigh and Steve rests his head on Danny’s shoulder, who puts his hand on the back of his neck and softly rubs it with his thumb.

“We’re going to be exhausted at the end of this, aren’t we?” Steve says with a soft chuckle.

Danny chuckles too, “Yeah, but it’ll be worth it.”

“Yeah,” Steve answers, closing his eyes for a moment while a content feeling washes over him. All of the fears he had just this morning feeling absolutely ridiculous now.

Charlie comes bouncing back into the room and jumps down onto his bed. “I’m ready!” he says happily.

“Okay, goodnight buddy,” Danny says as he gives him a kiss on his cheek and gets up.

Steve moves in to do the same, when Charlie wraps his arms around his neck and hugs him firmly. “I love you, Uncle Steve,” he whispers.

“I love you too, Charlie,” Steve answers, fighting back tears. He gets up and walks towards the door, where Danny’s already waiting.

“Goodnight!” Charlie yells at them from his bed as they leave.

“Goodnight,” they answer at the same time as Steve flicks the lightswitch.

They head back to the living room, finding it empty. Steve figures Grace probably went to her room and plops down on the couch with a sigh.

Danny sits down next to him and rests his feet on the coffee table in front of them. They’re silent for a moment and Steve reaches for Danny’s hand again, holding on tight.

“Do you want to call your parents?” Steve asks softly, looking down at Danny with a smile.

Danny looks up at him, “Actually, kinda, yeah.”

“I kind of want to call Mary,” Steve answers, looking in front of him again.

Danny chuckles, “Gotten a taste of it, hm?”

Steve shoves him softly, “Shut up.” He reaches for his phone and notices Danny does the same.

“I’ll go outside for a bit,” Steve says, getting up from the couch. Danny nods as he fast dials his parents.

Steve opens the door to Danny’s backyard and sits down on one of the garden chairs near the door. He puts is phone to his ear after he’s called Mary from his recent calls, and only has to wait for two rings before she answers.

“Hey big bro, what’s up?” he hears her asks chipperly.

Steve smiles at her enthusiastic tone, “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay,” Mary answers, her tone growing a little more serious. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Steve answers, quickly reassuring her. “Everything’s really great actually.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Mary answers, a smile audible in her voice. “So, what’s up?”

“I called because Danny and I have decided that we want to start telling people that we’re together,” he blurts out, surprised by how easy it was to say.

Mary lets out a happy yell and she sounds distant for a bit, probably having pulled her phone away from her ear for a moment.

“Steve, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!” she says, her voice sounding a little emotional.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks with a small frown.

“Are you kidding me?” Mary asks loudly, “I’m more than fine! Took you guys long enough!”

Steve laughs and shakes his head, “Did you suspect already?”

“Steve, come on!” Mary says, sounding like she can’t believe how dumb he is. “You guys have been on the edge of being together for years!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say-” Steve starts, Mary cutting him off before he can finish.

“Oh, we both know I’m right, Steve,” Mary says, Steve knowing she just rolled her eyes. “Who else have you guys told?”

“The kids,” Steve answers with a smile, “Danny’s telling his parents right now and we’ll probably tell the team tomorrow.”

“That’s so great, Steve, I’m so proud of you,” Mary says, “you deserve this.”

Something about the way she said those last words makes Steve choke up again and he wipes a few tears from his face. “Thanks, Mary.”

“Now, go be with Danny!” Mary answers, “I’ll interrogate you guys when I get there again, very soon hopefully.”

“I hope so too,” Steve answers. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Steve,” Mary answers, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Steve answers before hanging up, a big smile on his face. He peers through the window and when he sees that Danny’s not on the phone anymore either, he goes back inside.

“Hey, babe,” Danny says, a smile on his face too. “How’d it go?”

“Great,” Steve answers as he lowers himself onto the couch, “she said she already suspected.”

“Same here,” Danny answers with a chuckle, “mom cried, but she didn’t sound surprised at all.”

“How about your dad?” Steve asks, realizing he doesn’t really know how Danny’s family would feel about him being with a man.

“He was happy for me too,” Danny answers, “said he couldn’t believe it took us this long.”

They both chuckle at this and Steve puts his arm around Danny, who rests his head against Steve’s chest automatically.

They’re quiet for a while, bathing in the happiness they both feel. After a while Steve breaks the silence, not sure if Danny’s still awake.

“Danny?” he says softly, rubbing his arm softly.

“Hm?” Danny answers, sounding sleepy.

“How do you think the team will take it?” Steve answers, a little bit of nervousness creeping into his voice.

“What do you mean?” Danny asks, his voice coming out with a croak.

“When we tell them, about us? Will they be okay?” Steve says, sounding a little unsure, though he isn’t sure why.

Danny sits up a little and looks up at him, “Are they family to you?”

“Yes,” Steve answers, not a trail of doubt in his voice.

“Then we’ll be okay,” Danny answers simply before settling back down on his chest.

“Okay,” Steve answers, his nerves calming down a little after that confirmation, knowing Danny’s right.

“You okay?” Danny asks softly, grabbing Steve’s hand.

“Yeah,” Steve answers, a smile playing around his lips.

Danny sighs, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Steve answers while resting his head against the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

The next morning, the whole team’s gathered around the big table in the middle of the office. Steve just briefed them about everything they’ll be doing today and he’s silent for a moment, looking at Danny quickly.

“There’s one last thing I’d like to end with,” Steve says, the entire team looking up at him expectantly.

“Danny and I wanted to tell all of you at once, so we decided this would be the best moment,” Steve continues, noticing he still feels a little nervous.

Danny rests his hand on Steve’s lower back again, which he leans into a little, letting it ground him. “We decided that it’s time to share this with you, because it’s important that you hear it from us first, before the situation gets any more complicated.”

He looks around at everybody for a moment, the faces of all these people he loves very dearly staring back at him, most of them with small smiles on their faces.

“Danny and I have been in a relationship for the past two months,” Steve finally says, happy he finally got it out. He stays quiet for a while as he lets everybody take that in.

“We understand that this is a situation we haven’t dealt with before, so I want you all to know that if you’re uncomfortable in any way, or want to talk about this, we’re both available,” Steve answers, a frown on his face.

“Are you shitting me, commander?” Lou says after a moment of silence, a huge grin on his face. “It can’t possibly get more uncomfortable than before you guys finally figured it out.”

He lets out a loud laugh and suddenly the entire team erupts in sound, everybody laughing and chattering happily. Any nervousness Steve still felt is lifted off of him in an instant as he looks around the room with a grin.

After a few minutes he raises his hands to get everybody’s attention and they quiet down. “Okay, it’s time to get to work. But if you guys do want to talk about this, please let us know,” he says, hoping the team knows he means it.

Everybody nods and start moving around, all of them with huge smiles on their faces. Jerry walks over to Steve and Danny first, giving both of them a big hug. “I’m happy for you guys,” Jerry says with a big smile.

“Thanks, Jer,” Steve answers, smiling back at him.

Lou slaps both of them on the back as he walks by, shaking his head with a huge grin on his face. “You finally got it through those thick skulls of yours?” he teases, winking at both of them.

Danny rolls his eyes at him and Steve chuckles, knowing Lou would’ve probably put up a cigar if he was allowed to inside.

Both Kono and Chin linger behind and give each of them a hug, big smiles on their faces. “I’m proud of you, boss,” she whispers in his ear as she gives him a firm hug.

“Thanks, Kono,” Steve answers, unable the wipe the smile off his face.

“Took you long enough,” she says with a grin as she pulls back.

Steve lets out a laugh and shoves her softly, “Oh, go get to work.”

Kono chuckles and walks away, closely followed by Chin, who quickly turns around before walking away. “I’m very happy for you guys,” he says, “but I suggest you guys make out in a room that has a door with a lock on it next time.”

Kono turns around at this, unfortunately having overheard him, her mouth opened in shock and a sparkle in her eyes. Her eyes dart between the three of them and she lets out a few confused noises.

All four them laugh and Steve catches a wink form Chin, who’s shaking his head. Steve realizes he’s probably going to have to get used to a lot more of this type of teasing after this, which he’s surprisingly okay with.

When everybody’s finally back in their office, doors closed, Danny lets out a sigh behind him. “Want to go for a walk?” he asks.

“Sure,” Steve answers, grabbing Danny’s hand with a smile.

They walk out of the office and stroll through the park near the palace in silence for a bit. Danny pulls Steve towards a bench in the shade after a while, sitting down with a sigh.

“So,” he starts, “how do you feel after all of that?”

Steve takes a moment to check in with himself, realizing he’s still smiling. “Very good,” he answers, looking at Danny, who’s smiling too.

“Good,” Danny responds, leaning in and cupping Steve’s face with his free hand.

Just before their lips meet, Danny looks at him with a questioning look on his face, like asking for permission. Steve’s heart soars at the sweet gesture, making him feel like the luckiest man in the world.

He grabs Danny’s hip to pull him in closer and bridges the distance between them. He immediately deepens their kiss, holding Danny close, not caring about who can see them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I can't wait to hear what people think about this!
> 
> This series has been my baby for over a year, the ideas and WIPs I have for this are starting to overflow and I can't believe it's finally happening! I'm beyond excited to keep working on this and I'd love to hear input!
> 
> That being said, here's a little introduction for where I see this series going! I've wanted to make a series which follows Steve and Danny's established relationship for a long time, so I'm very happy to finally be doing it! This series will follow the boys as they deal with the completely normal hardships (and fun parts) of being in a relationship, while navigating a very complicated and abnormal reality. I can't wait to take the next step in this journey!
> 
> I'll probably make a little masterpost at the beginning of this series to establish a timeline as more works get added (and the chronology of things get a little more complicated). If you have any suggestions for future works you'd like to see, please let me know! I'd love to do some requests too.
> 
> Last but not least, I'd love to thank a very dear friend of mine, Cécile, for putting up with my shenanigans while I navigated through this crazy journey. Thank you for all of the rants you listened to, the stuff you proofread, the feedback you give and for being an amazing friend in general. I love you!
> 
> Thanks again, everybody for reading! I hope you guys will enjoy this series as much as I love creating it.


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